BANCROFT 
LIBRARY 

•  O 

THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 


WESTEKN  TEXAS. 


VALLEY 


OF    THE 


RIO     GRANDE; 


ITS  SOIL,  PRODUCTIONS,  CLIMATE, 


v  &c. 


NEW  YOBK. 

GEORGE  F.  NESBITT,  STATIONER  AND  PRINTER, 
Corner  of  Wall  and,  Water-strecti. 

1847. 


WESTERN  TEXAS. 


VALLEY  OF  THE  BIO  GRANDE; 

ITS  SOIL,  PRODUCTIONS,  &c.,  &Q. 


IT  is  a  singular  fact,  that  the  soil  of  this  extensive  valley  is  composed 
of  mineral  constituents  precisely  similar  to  those  which  compose  the 
Delta  of  the  Nile,  and  there  is  scarcely  a  doubt  that,  under  a  proper 
system  of  culture,  it  will  become  equally  productive. 

The  Rio  Grande  resembles  the  Nile  in  many  remarkable  features.  It 
has  its  source  in  towering  primitive  mountains,  composed  of  red  granite, 
identical  in  appearance  and  geological  structure  with  the  material  from 
which  the  imperishable  monuments  of  the  Pharaohs  were  hewn. 

Below  these  mountains,  at  different  elevations,  are  extensive  formations 
of  secondary  limestone  and  sandstone  ;  vast  fields  of  moving  sand 
through  which  the  river  forces  its  devious  way  in  its  annual  floods,  by 
constantly  changing  channels ;  and  broad  plains  covered,  like  those  of 
Upper  Egypt,  with  silicious  pebbles,  such  as  flints,  agates  and  chalcedony, 
intermingled  with  large  petrified  trees,  such  as  are  found  near  Cairo- 
Indeed,  throughout  its  whole  length  and  breadth,  this  extensive  valley 
presents  nearly  the  same  geological  characteristics  as  that  of  the  Nile, 
and  its  soil,  being  made  up  of  the  detritus  of  similar  rocky  formations, 
must  be  similar  in  its  chemical  constituents. 

It  is  true  that  the  Valley  of  the  Rio  Grande  is  not  subject,  like  that  of 
the  Nile,  to  annual  inundations,  but  it  is  more  favored  by  climate,  as  the 
rains  fall  so  frequently  and  in  such  quantities  that  the  crops  seldom  fail 
from  drought.  Indeed,  all  the  elements  of  fertility  exist  in  this  fine  re- 
gion, and,  as  before  observed,  only  require  to  be  developed  by  a  system 
of  agriculture  similar  to  that  practised  in  Upper  Egypt,  to  yield  a  return 
as  ample  as  can  be  realized  on  the  richest  lands  of  that  prolific  country. 
The  truth  of  this  theory  is  practically  evinced  at  El  Paso,  six  hundred 


miles  above  Point  Isabel,  (as  the  crow  flies,)  where,  by  means  of  irriga- 
tion, the  most  abundant  crops  are  raised  with  comparatively  little  labor. 

The  time  is  probably  not  far  distant  when  the  Egyptian  cotton  will  be 
cultivated  in  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande  to  as  great  an  extent  as  on  the 
banks  of  the  Nile.  A  few  experiments  have  been  made  in  the  culture 
of  the  cotton  plant  in  the  vicinity  of  Matamoras,  and  have  proved  re- 
markably successful.  It  grows  in  this  region  with  wonderful  luxuriance, 
and  yields  abundantly,  almost  without  labor  or  care.  The  sugar  cane  also 
here  grows  to  an  enormous  size,  and  far  exceeds  in  its  products  the  cane 
of  Louisiana  or  of  any  portion  of  Eastern  Texas. 

It  has  been  remarked  by  naturalists  that  tropical  plants  are  more  pro- 
ductive at  or  near  the  Northern  limits  of  their  growth,  than  near  the 
equator.  If  this  doctrine  is  correct,  the  culture  of  sugar  cane  will  be 
found  more  profitable  in  the  lower  portion  of  the  Valley  of  the  Rio 
Grande  than  it  is  even  in  Cuba.  Many  valuable  tropical  fruits  may  also 
be  grown  in  this  section  with  great  advantage.  The  orange,  fig  and 
pomegranate  flourish  with  great  luxuriance  in  the  neighborhood  of  Mata- 
moras and  Camargo.  Such  advantages  of  soil  and  climate  cannot  be 
overlooked,  and  it  may  be  taken  for  granted  that  at  no  distant  day,  large 
portions  of  the  country  between  Point  Isabel  and  Loredo,  and  even  above 
the  Presidio  del  Rio  Grande,  will  be  covered  with  plantations  of  sugar 
cane  and  Egyptian  cotton,  interspersed  with  groves  of  oranges,  figs, 
olives,  and  other  fruits  of  the  tropics,  surpassing  in  luxuriance  of  growth 
and  beauty  of  appearance  the  same  productions  in  any  other  region  of 
the  South.  That  portion  of  the  Rio  Grande  valley  lying  farther  up—- 
say from  the  Presidio  road  to  one  hundred  miles  above  the  mouth  of  the 
Puerco — with  the  land  lying  along  the  tributaries  of  these  two  rivers,  is 
admirably  adapted  for  even  a  more  varied  production,  and  will  support 
and  enrich  a  dense  population. 

Indeed  the  valleys  of  the  several  tributary  streams  of  this  region  are  equal 
in  all  respects  to  the  valley  of  the  Colorado.  That  of  the  Puerco  is  said 
to  be  superior  to  it.  These  rich  vales,  and  the  whole  region  are  sheltered 
from  the  icy  winds  of  the  North  by  high  ranges  of  mountains,  and  enjoy 
a  delightfully  mild  and  temperate  climate.  Under  the  impotent  sway  of 
Spain,  and  the  still  more  impotent  sway  of  Mexico,  there  has  existed  no 
stimulus  to  industry,  and  from  this  and  other  causes,  these  fertile  lands 
have  remained  almost  as  desolate  and  unimproved  as  they  were  when  oc- 
cupied alone  as  the  hunting  ground  of  the  savage.  That  time  has  gone 
by.  Another  race  will  soon  strike  deep  the  roots  of  civilization  in  this 
favored  region,  and  bring  enterprize,  industry  and  science  to  bear  upon 


5 

its  affluent  soil — a  soil  capable  of  supporting  a  more  dense  population 
than  any  other  portion  of  the  continent 

PRODUCTIONS  OF  WESTERN  TEXAS. 

MAIZE  or  Indian  Corn  yields  a  large  and  profitable  return,  with  little 
trouble  or  expenditure.  The  average  crop  on  good  land  is  from  fifty  to 
seventy  bushels  per  acre,  and  larger  quantities  have  frequently  been  gath- 
ered. Two  crops  may  be  harvested  annually ;  the  seed  of  the  first  being 
planted  in  February,  and  of  the  second  late  in  June.  A  crop  of  wheat 
equal  in  quality  to  the  best  Kentucky,  has  been  cut  in  May  on  land  in 
Western  Texas,  and  the  same  land  has  yielded  a  heavy  crop  of  corn  in 
the  ensuing  October. 

Capital,  and  the  requisite  skill  and  labor,  are  all  that  is  necessary  to 
place  many  sections  of  Western  Texas  among  the  best  wine  producing 
countries  in  the  world.  The  native  grape  has  a  fine  flavor,  and  the  vines 
are  frequently  seen  festooning  and  overtopping  trees  from  eighty  to  one 
hundred  feet  in  height.  On  sandy  ridges  unfit  for  cultivation,  the  vines 
are  most  abundant.  Should  German  emigrants  from  the  Rhenish  pro- 
vinces make  the  same  efforts  here  as  they  made  at  Vevay,  Indiana,  entire 
success  would  unquestionably  reward  them.  Almost  every  variety  of 
the  grape  is  found  growing  in  this  part  of  Texas.  In  the  country  near 
the  Paso  del  Norte,  on  the  Rio  Grande,  which,  according  to  Humboldt, 
resembles  the  finest  portions  of  Andalusia,  the  vine  has  long  been  culti- 
vated, and  a  wine  is  manufactured  there  which  is  held  in  high  estimation. 
In  the  opinion  of  that  sagacious  naturalist,  this  region,  in  the  article  of 
wine,  will  yet  become  to  the  rest  of  the  continent  what  France,  Spain, 
Portugal  and  Italy,  have  been  and  are,  to  the  North  of  Europe.* 

\JFrom  the  Washington  Union,  May  \Sth.~] 

*  We  published  a  few  days  since  an  intimation  of  a  good  route  for  a  railroad  to  the 
Pacific,  from  the  Lower  Mississippi,  through  Texas,  to  the  Rio  del  Norte,  near  El  Paso, 
and  from  thence  by  the  valley  of  the  Gila  to  San  Diego,  on  the  Pacific.  Since  then  we 
have  seen  the  following  letter  from  a  resident  on  the  Del  Norte,  describing  the  product- 
iveness of  the  valley  of  the  Paso,  near  which  the  railroad  would  pass.  Although  this 
letter  has  reference  to  a  different  route,  yet  its  account  of  the  productiveness  of  that 
region  makes  it  of  value  to  any  route.  We  therefore  publish  it. 

EL  PASO,  January  25,  1847. 

The  United  States  forces,  under  command  of  Colonel  Alexander  W.  Doniphan,  took 
possession  of  the  city  of  El  Paso,  department  of  Chihuahua,  on  Sunday,  the  27th  De- 
cember, 1846,  two  days  after  the  battle  of  Bracito,  the  strength  of  his  command  being 
about  900  men. 

My  object  in  this  communication  is  to  give  the  War  Department,  and  the  country  at 
large,  some  idea  of  the  resources  of  the  fruitful  valley  of  El  Paso,  and  of  its  importance 
to  the  United  States.  The  settlement  of  El  Paso  extends  from  the  falls  of  the  Rio 
Grande,  on  the  north,  to  the  Presidio,  on  the  south — a  distarfce  of  twenty-two  miles — 
and  is  one  continuous  orchard  and  vineyard,  embracing,  in  its  ample  area,  an  indus- 
trious and  peaceable  population  of  at  least  8,000.  The  spacious  valley  is  about  midway 
between  Santa  Fe  and  Chihuahua,  and  is  isolated  from  all  other  Mexican  settlements 
by  the  mountains  that  rise  on  the  east  and  west,  and  close  into  the  river  on  the  north 


6 

The  Tobacco  plant  thrives  best  on  a  light,  rich,  warm  soil,  and  the  ex- 
periments made  on  the  Guadaloupe  show  what  may  be  done  with  this 
important  production  in  favored  locations  in  Western  Texas. 

The  Indigo  plant  is  indigenous  to  the  soil,  and  may  become  an  article 
of  export.  It  has  long  been  manufactured  for  domestic  use  in  Texas, 
and  Texan  Indigo  is  considered  of  a  very  superior  quality. 

In  the  dry  and  barren  localities,  the  cactus,  on  which  the  cochineal  in- 
sect feeds,  grows  in  great  profusion,  and  cochineal  of  good  quality  is  found 
in  abundance  in  the  country  about  Loredo  and  the  Presidio  del  Rio 
Grande. 


and  south.  The  breadth  of  the  valley  is  about  ten  miles.  The  falls  of  the  river  are 
two  miles  north  of  the  "  Plaza  Publica,"  or  public  square,  and  afford  sufficient  water 
power  for  grist  and  saw  mills,  enough  to  supply  the  entire  settlement  with  flour  and 
lumber.  The  most  important  production  of  the  valley  is  the  grape,  from  which  are  an- 
nually manufactured  not  less  than  200,000  gallons  of,  perhaps,  the  richest  and  best  wine 
in  the  world.  This  wine  is  worth  $2  per  gallon,  and  constitutes  the  principal  revenue 
of  the  city.  The  El  Paso  wines  are  superior  in  richness  of  flavor  and  pleasantness  of 
taste  to  anything  of  the  kind  I  ever  met  with  in  the  United  States,  and  I  doubt  not  that 
they  are  far  superior  to  the  best  wines  ever  produced  in  the  valley  of  the  Rhine,  or  on 
the  sunny  hills  of  France.  Also  great  quantities  of  the  grape  of  this  valley  are  dried  in 
clusters  and  preserved  for  use  during  the  winter ;  in  this  state  I  regard  them  far  superior 
to  the  best  raisins  thai  are  imported  into  the  United  States. 

If  this  valley  were  cultivated  by  an  energetic  American  population,  it  would  yield, 
perhaps,  ten  times  the  quantity  of  wine  and  fruits  at  present  procured.  Were  the 
wholesome  influences  and  protection  of  our  republican  institutions  extended  beyond  the 


a  communication  between  this  rich  valley  and  the  Western  States,  by  a  turnpike,  rail- 
road, or  some  other  thoroughfare,  which  would  afford  a  market  for  the  fruits  and  wines 
of  this  river  country.  Perhaps  the  most  feasible  and  economical  plan,  though  not  the 
most  direct,  of  opening  an  outlet  to  the  grape  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande,  would  be  the 
construction  of  a  grand  canal  from  this  place  following  the  meanderings  of  the  river  to 
its  highest  navigable  point.  If  a  communication  by  either  of  these  routes  were  opened, 
this  valley  would  soon  become  the  seat  of  wealth,  influence  and  refinement.  It  would 
be  one  of  the  richest  and  most  fashionable  parts  of  the  continent.  A  communication 
between  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi  and  that  of  the  Del  Norte,  affording  an  easy 
method  of  exchanging  the  products  of  one  for  those  of  the  other,  will  do  more  than 
anything  else  to  facilitate  trie  westward  march  of  civilization  and  republican  govern- 
ment. It  would  be  an  act  of  charity  to  this  people  to  rid  them  of  their  present  governors, 
and  throw  around  them  the  shield  of  American  protection. 

That  the  idea  of  a  canal  following  the  course  of  the  Del  Norte  may  not  appear  im-, 
practicable,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  state  that  no  country  in  the  world  is  better  adapted 
for  the  construction  of  canals  than  this  valley.  As  the  earth  is  sandy,  canals  are  easily 
constructed  ;  but  there  is  a  kind  of  cement  intermixed  with  the  sand  that  renders  the 
banks  of  canals  as  firm  as  a  wall.  There  is  already  a  grand  canal  or  acequia  leading 
out  from  the  river  above  the  falls,  extending  through  the  entire  length  of  the  valley  of  El 
Paso,  irrigating  every  farm  and  vineyard  to  the  Presidio,  where  it  rejoins  the  river. 

Pears,  peaches,  apples,  quinces  and  figs,  are  produced  in  the  greatest  profusion.  The 
climate  of  this  country  is  most  salubrious  and  healthful.  The  inhabitants  here  suffer 
more  from  the  depredations  of  the  Apaches  than  from  any  other  cause.  They  are  fre- 
quently robbed  of  all  they  possess,  in  one  night,  by  the  incursions  of  these  lawless  plun- 
derers. A  few  companies  of  dragoons  would,  however,  soon  drive  them  from  their 
hiding  places  in  the  mountains,  and  put  an  end  to  their  depredations. 

Add  to  the  fruits  and  wines  of  this  rich  valley  a  vast  quantity  of  corn,  wheat,  and 
other  small  grain,  and  the  surplus  production  of  the  place  will,  under  its  present  state  of 
agriculture,  amount  to  near  one  million  of  dollars  per  annum.  What,  then,  would  be 
the  amount  of  the  surplus  under  the  advantages  of  American  agriculture  7 

I  have  thought  proper  to  make  these  suggestions  to  the  War  Department,  as  there  is 
no  corps  of  field  and  topographical  engineers  with  this  branch  of  the  western  army, 
whose  duty  it  would  have  been  to  make  such  report.  Respectfully,  &c. 

JOHN  T.  HUGHES. 

His  Excellency,  WM.  L.  MAECY,  Secretary  of  War. 


The  mulberry  tree  is  a  common  production  and  of  vigorous  growth,  in 
Western  Texas,  the  climate  of  which  is  well  adapted  to  the  rearing  of 
the  silk  worm.  The  experiment  of  producing  silk  has  been  made  at  San 
Antonio  with  the  most  satisfactory  results. 

Sweet  potatoes  flourish  in  these  latitudes — the  prairie  lands  yielding 
400  to  500  bushels  to  the  acre.  The  common  potato  is  equally  product- 
ive and  of  excellent  quality.  The  February  plantings  yield  a  plentiful 
return  in  April  and  May,  but  the  produce  of  this  root  when  planted  in 
the  heat  of  summer,  is  inferior  both  in  size  and  quality. 

The  low  alluvial  lands,  of  course,  are  not  suited  to  wheat,  but  above  the 
line  from  Austin  on  the  Colorado,  across  the  San  Antonio,  Medina,  Rio 
Frio  and  Nueces  to  the  Rio  Grande,  and  along  the  rolling  lands  of  the 
Puerco,  wheat  of  the  finest  quality  can  be  raised  in  abundance.  The 
same  remark  also  applies  to  the  la.nd  along  the  Guadaloupe  range,  to  the 
San  Saba.  It  is  the  humid  and  hot,  not  the  dry  and  warm  climate,  that 
is  unfavorable  to  wheat. 

Barley  may  be  grown  on  the  light,  mellow  soil  of  the  sloping  prairies 
and  post  oak  lands  ;  the  rolling  districts  will  supply  oats,  rye  and  buck- 
wheat, in  sufficient  quantities  for  home  consumption ;  and  the  undulating 
and  hilly  districts  will  not  disappoint  the  farmer  in  the  production  of 
hemp  and  flax. 

The  soil  and  climate  of  this  part  of  Texas  are  favorable  to  the  growth 
of  the  vanilla  vine,  the  fruit  of  which  is  exported  from  Mexico  to  Eu- 
rope, as  well  as  to  this  country  in  smaller  quantities,  and  is  used  for  con- 
fectionary purposes ;  but  chiefly  for  mixing  with  and  perfuming  chocolate. 
As  regards  pasture,  the  whole  face  of  the  country — woodland  and 
prairie,  upland  and  bottom — is  verdant  with  grass.  The  indigenous, 
prairie  grass  is  tall,  coarse,  full  of  seed  at  the  top,  and,  when  young,  re- 
sembles wheat  in  the  spring.  But  in  grasses  the  glory  of  the  State  is  the 
musquit,  found  only  in  Western  Texas.  It  yields  a  fine  soft  sward,  pre- 
serves its  verdure  in  the  winter,  and,  beyond  all  comparison,  affords  the 
best  wild  pasture  in  the  world.  It  has  also  the  peculiar  property  of  re- 
taining its  nutritive  quality  after  it  has  become  dry  and  apparently  dead. 
The  upland  and  hilly  region  of  Western  Texas  is  carpeted  with  it,  and 
never  did  bountiful  nature  spread  out  a  more  abundant  or  more  excellent 
pasturage  for  sheep,  than  it  affords.  All  that  is  wanting  is  to  bring  the 
white  flocks  to  the  green  herbage,  and  thus  turn  this  spontaneous  produc- 
tion of  a  prolific  soil  to  the  use  for  which  Providence  designed  it. 

From  this  slight  but  truthful  sketch  of  the  country,  its  productive  capa- 
bilities and  natural  vegetation,  it  would  seem  reasonable  to  conclude  that 


8 

the  agricultural  emigrant,  from  whatever  region  he  may  hail,  can  be 
easily  suited  in  Western  Texas.  If  he  come  from  the  Southern  States, 
with  large  capital,  seeking  large  and  rich  returns,  he  may  locate  himself 
on  the  alluvial  lands  of  the  San  Antonio,  the  Nueces,  or  the  Rio  Grande. 
If  accustomed  to  a  more  temperate  or  a  colder  clime,  and  desirous  of  em- 
bracing with  the  cultivation  of  the  earth,  stock  raising  of  all  descriptions,  he 
may  go  farther  up  the  Rio  Grande  or  settle  upon  the  Los  Moras,  East  Fork, 
or  Puerco.  The  rich  soil  and  ample  range  in  and  around  these  locations', 
irrigated  by  pure  and  rapid  streams,  will  produce  almost  every  thing  that 
earth  can  yield  for  consumption  or  export,  while  the  rearing  of  horses, 
mules,  cattle  and  swine,  not  overlooking  the  noble  Saxony  and  hardy  me- 
rino, may  be  carried  on  there  to  an  extent,  and  with  an  amount  of  cost 
and  labor  absolutely  incredible  to  those  who  have  never  seen  any  portion 
of  this  Western  Eden.  Indeed  the  exuberance  of  nature  and  the  benig- 
nity of  the  climate  have  left  little,  comparatively,  for  man  to  do.  It  is  an 
open  country  and  does  not  require  the  labor  of  a  lifetime,  before  the 
plough  can  be  struck  deep  into  the  soil ;  and  as  to  flocks,  only  a  little  at- 
tention is  requisite,  winter  and  summer,  to  keep  them  from  running  wild. 

In  the  nuts  of  the  woods,  especially  the  ground  pea  nut,  hogs  will  long 
continue  to  find  unbought  and  nutricious  sustenance ;  requiring  only  a 
few  weeks  feeding  on  corn  to  make  the  pork  fat  and  firm  enough  for 
market  in  any  part  of  the  world.  The  increase  of  stock  too,  is  much 
more  rapid  than  in  colder  climates.  It  would  cost  more  to  raise  one 
thousand  chickens  any  where  within  the  limits  of  the  "  Old  Thirteen," 
than  to  raise  one  thousand  head  of  cattle,  or  ten  times  that  number  of 
sheep,  in  the  region  of  country  referred  to. 

The  whole  of  Texas,  but  in  a  singular  degree  the  western  portion, 
from  the  Colorado  to  the  Rio  Grande,  and  from  the  Gulf  to  the  Moun- 
tains, is  free  from  those  accumulations  of  stagnant  water,  which,  under 
the  burning  sun  of  the  South,  render  a  large  portion  of  the  southern  bor- 
ders of  the  United  States,  at  certain  seasons,  little  better  than  a  pestifer- 
ous desert.  The  porous  nature  of  the  soil,  the  gradual  elevation  of  the 
land  toward  the  interior,  and  the  general  rise  of  the  banks  from  the  beds 
of  the  rivers,  preclude  the  formation  of  swamps  to  any  injurious  extent. 

CLIMATE. 

The  climate  of  Texas  is  as  varied  as  the  productive  qualities  of  its 
soil.  On  the  Gulf  and  near  large  rivers,  especially  those  toward  the 
East,  which  are  occasionally  overflowed,  it  resembles  that  of  the  neigh- 
boring States  of  Louisiana,  Mississippi  and  Alabama,  with  an-  ample 


9 

abatement,  however,  of  injurious  influences.  The  reason  of  its  greater 
salubrity  is  this :  The  Texan  forests  are  as  free  from  the  rank  under- 
growth of  the  heavily  wooded  districts  of  those  States,  as  the  level  region 
of  Texas  generally  is  from  those  putrid  swamps  which  under  the  almost 
vertical  sun  of  the  South,  exhale  the  elements  of  disease  and  death.  In 
Texas,  from  river  to  river,  the  country  consists  of  a  series  of  open  accliv- 
ities ;  while  in  Louisiana  and  Mississippi  the  land  similarly  situated, 
being  covered  with  compact  forests  and  level,  retains  the  annual  inunda- 
tions, and  the  stagnant  moisture  with  the  dense  vegetation  it  nourishes, 
acted  upon  by  the  solar  heat,  generates  noxious  miasma,  the  ever  fruitful 
cause  of  malignant  fever.  Intermittent  fevers — such  as  are  common  in 
all  new  countries,  when  the  processes  of  clearing  and  cultivation  first 
expose  to  the  sun's  heat  the  vegetable  deposit  of  ages— are  not  unknown 
on  the  low  alluvial  soil  of  Texas ;  but  with  the  progress  of  population 
and  improvement  these  fevers  diminish  in  violence,  and  ultimately  dis- 
appear. 

The  prevailing  summer  wind  in  Texas  is  from  the  South  "West,  and 
besides  being  healthy  and  agreeable,  it  greatly  tempers  the  heat  of  July 
and  August  with  its  grateful  and  constant  play.  While  the  midsummer 
air  of  the  alluvial  region  of  Mississippi  and  Louisiana  is  surcharged  with 
mephitic  vapor,  the  clear  atmosphere  of  Texas  is  quickened  and  reno- 
vated by  the  invigorating  breeze  from  the  Gulf,  which,  passing  over  the 
dry,  verdant  and  rolling  surface  of  the  interior,  enlivens  the  spirits  of  the 
settler  and  gives  a  zest  to  even  passive  physical  enjoyment.  Without 
this  refreshing  and  exhilarating  breeze,  which  continues,  with  but  slight 
interruptions  for  six  months  of  the  year,  the  temperature  of  the  low  lands 
would  certainly  be  oppressive  and  the  climate  unhealthy. 

By  thermometrical  calculations,  made  in  different  sections  of  the 
country,  from  April  to  September,  for  a  period  of  three  years,  the  mer- 
cury has  been  found  to  range  from  63°  to  100°.  Average  heat  at  9 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  73° — at  12  o'clock  noon,  83° — at  3  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon,  77°. 

But  the  indications  of  the  thermometer  can  give  no  accurate  idea  of 
the  climate  of  Western  Texas,  to  those  who  have  never  experienced  its 
effects.  The  same  degree  of  heat  which,  in  South  Carolina,  Georgia, 
Alabama  and  Mississippi  would  be  overpowering,  in  this  portion  of  Texas 
would  occasion  comparatively  little  inconvenience.  From  the  first  of 
April  till  the  close  of  September,  the  benignant  breezes  to  which  we  have 
referred,  commence  soon  after  sun-rise,  and  continue  until  3  or  4  P.  M., 
2 


10 

when  they  gradually  die  away.  After  sun-set  a  light  breeze  again 
^springs  up,  and  the  atmosphere  grows  cooler  and  cooler  until  early  dawn. 

The  south  west  wind,  so  contributive  to  health  and  comfort  on  the  level 
region  of  the  coast,  becomes  an  unmingled  blessing  in  the  north-west  por- 
tion of  Texas,  as  it  sweeps  among  the  cool  springs,  clear  streams,  wooded 
bottoms,  timbered  islands,  and  flower-spangled  prairies  of  that  region. 
The  rolling  country  stretching  from  Austin  on  the  Colorado*  over  the 
Head  waters  of  the  Guadaloupe,  San  Antonio,  Medina,  and  Nueces,  to  the 
Rio  Grande,  and  embracing  north  of  this  line  the  whole  range  of  country 
from  the  fertile  valley  of  the  Puerco.  along  the  spurs  of  the  Guadaloupe 
range  to  the  San  Saba  mountains,  (whose  vales  and  acclivities  are  as  rich 
in  soil  as  their  mines  are  known  to  be  in  the  precious  metals,)  is  swept  by 
this  salubrious  »ea  wind. 

The  greater  portion  of  this  beautiful  region,  which  has  justly  received 
the  name  of  the  " Italy  of  America"  is  blessed  with  a  temperature  de- 
lightful to  the  senses,  favorable  to  life,  and  adapted  to  the  production  of 
most  of  the  comforts  and  luxuries  which  render  life  agreeable.  Within 
this  range  the  mildness  of  the  seasons  enables  the  planter  and  the  farmer 
to  raise  whatever  they  choose,  and  to  accumulate  stock  of  every  kind 
almost  without  toil  or  expense.  This  is  the  region  of  country  most  suit- 
able to  a  Northern  constitution,  and  here  settlers  from  the  northern 
sections  of  the  United  States  may  at  once  lay  the  foundation  of  future 
wealth,  and  plant  the  seeds  of  civilization.  Nor  need  the  European 
emigrant  be  deterred  by  apprehensions  on  the  score  of  health,  from  re- 
moving to  a  soil  possessing  powers  of  production  which  all  but  anticipate 
the  wants  of  man.  R.  H.  Chinn,  a  Kentucky  gentleman,  in  a  communi- 
cation published  by  him  in  1838,  thus  compares  Texas  with  Kentucky : 
"  I  have  seen,"  says  he,  "  almost  every  acre  of  Kentucky,  and  I  do  be- 
lieve that  Texas  has  greatly  the  advantage.  The  greater  part  of  Texas 
is,  by  nature,  at  once  prepared  for  the  plough  of  the  husbandman.  About 
one-third  of  Kentucky  is  fertile  and  capable  of  successful  settlement  and 
cultivation  ;  nine-tenths  of  all  explored  Texas  are  of  that  character ;  and 
the  soil  and  climate  of  Texas  can  produce  advantageously  every  thing 
which  Kentucky  can,  and  many  things  requisite  for  the  wants  of  man 
that  Kentucky  cannot.  The  laborious,  protracted  and  expensive  work  of 
clearing  a  plantation  is  necessary  in  but  few  places.  This  gives  to  the 
country  a  great  and  decided  advantage." 

General  Tike,  of  the  U.  S.  Army,  in  his  Travels,  says  of  Texas—"  It 
lias  one  of  the  most  delightful  temperatures  in  the  world.  Take  it  gen- 
erally, it  is  one  of  the  richest,  most  prolific,  and  best  watered  countries  in 
the  world." 


11 

"Col.  Longworthy,  of  Vermont,  who  travelled  over  Texas,  remarks  in 
his  published  narrative,  that  he  had  seen  "  nearly  all  of  the  Northern 
States,  and  Ohio,  Kentucky,  Indiana,  Illinois  and  Louisiana,  which  were 
certainly,  in  relation  to  soil,  climate  and  productions,  entitled  to  the  fa- 
vorable opinion  which  has  often  been  expressed  with  regard  to  them  ;" 
"  but,"  he  unhesitatingly  adds,  "  in  goodness  of  soil,  in  the  extent  and 
variety  of  productions,  in  amenity  of  climate,  in  local  and  commercial  ad- 
vantages, in  short,  in  every  thing  which  conduces  to  the  comfort  of  man, 
Texas  has  a  decided  preference  over  any  country  he  has  ever  seen." 

General  Ward,  who  had  served  long  in  the  Mexican  army,  describes 
the  climate  of  the  interior  of  Texas  as  differing  but  little  from  that  of  the 
"  South  of  Europe,  Buenos  Ayres,  and  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope." 

Captain  Marryatt,  in  his  "  Diary  in  America,"  speaks  thus  :  "  In  the 
Southern  portions  of  America  there  are  millions  of  acres  upon  which 
cotton  can  be  cultivated,  particularly  in  Texas,  the  soil  of  which  is  so 
congenial  that  they  can  produce  1000  Ibs.  to  the  400  Ibs.  raised  by  the 
Americans." 

It  is  to  Texas  particularly,  he  says,  that  England  must  look  for  this 
product.  It  may  be  asked,  how  is  it,  as  Texas  is  so  far  south,  that  a 
white  population  can  labor  there?  It  is  because  Texas  is  a  prairie 
country  and  being  situated  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  a  sea  breeze  is  always 
blowing  across  the  whole  country,  rendering  the  air  cool  and  refreshing, 
notwithstanding  the  heat  of  the  sun's  rays. 

Win.  Kennedy,  Esq.,  British  Consul,  who  travelled  all  over  Texas,  and 
still  resides  in  Galveston,  in  his  able  work,  thus  sums  up  its  advantages : 

"  All  competent  judges  who  have  explored  the  country  agree  in  opin- 
ion, that  for  apparent  depth  and  richness,  and  capabilities  of  raising  the 
commodities  necessary  for  animal  subsistence  and  enjoyment,  the  soil  of 
Texas  is  not  surpassed  by  that  of  any  other  country  in  the  Western 
hemisphere.  After  traversing  the  border  and  advancing  toward  the  in- 
terior, this  singular  country  exhibits  its  beauties  and  developes  its  re- 
sources. In  the  rolling  and  hilly  country  the  grazier  and  cultivator  of 
products,  familiar  to  the  European  farmer,  may  obtain  easy  and  ample  re- 
turns from  plains  and  valleys  unrivalled  for  natural  attractions ;  and  on 
the  low  line  of  the  coast,  the  enterprise  of  the  Southern  planter  will  be 
prodigally  rewarded  by  the  vegetable  treasures  of  a  tropical  clime.  To 
a  settler  who  desires  to  enjoy  the  advantages  of  the  upper  region,  with- 
out fixing  his  residence  too  remote  from  the  sea,  the  Western  part  of 
Texas,  with  its  sparkling  streams  flowing  through  a  fertile  and  picturesque 
country,  is  more  suitable  than  the  Eastern.  But  it  is  the  peculiar  charm 


12 

of  Texas  that  it  offers  to  the  most  dissimilar  tastes  and  habits  the  means 
of  selecting  a  place  of  rest  in  some  congenial  spot." 

During  the  spring  and  summer  of  1845,  the  compiler  of  this  state- 
ment travelled  over  a  large  portion  of  Texas,  and  he  must  own  the  ac- 
counts above  given  are  in  his  judgment  truthful  and  accurate.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  results  of  his  own  personal  observation,  he  learned  much  from 
the  Texan  Rangers,  stationed  at  San  Antonio,  and  examined  a  great 
many  Mexican  traders  and  old  inhabitants  who  had  traversed  the  whole 
of  the  country  lying  North  of  the  Presidio,  on  this  side  of  the  Rio 
Grande.  They  all  concurred  in  pronouncing  this  region,  beyond  com- 
parison, the  best  portion  of  Texas.  Col.  Francis  W.  Johnson,  for  twenty 
years  a  resident  of  Texas,  a  gentleman  of  high  character  and  great  intel- 
ligence, by  a  letter  now  in  the  possession  of  the  writer,  fully  confirms  all 
that  others  have  said  in  eulogy  of  Texas,  and  especially  of  the  country  up 
the  Rio  Grande  and  its  tributaries,  Los  Moras,  the  Puerco  and  East 
Fork.  Similar  testimony  is  borne  by  the  gallant  Captain  Walker.* 

PARK  PLACE  HOUSE,          > 
New  York,  December  5th,  1846.  5 

*  My  Dear  Sir — In  answer  to  your  request  to  state  what  I  know,  and  my  opinion,  of 
the  country  north  of  the  Presidio-road  and  on  the  east  side  of  the  Rio  Grande,  I  take 
great  pleasure  in  making  the  following  statement: 

From  my  long  residence,  and  general  knowledge,  of  almost  every  part  of  Texas,  I 
have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  the  country  lying  between  the  points  indicated  by  you, 
and  especially  that  part  lying  between  the  Los  Moras  and  the  Rio  Puerco,  embraces  a 
territory  that  will  compare  with  any  other  district  in  Texas.  "While  the  valleys  of  the 
Rio  Grande,  as  well  as  those  of  the  Los  Moras  and  Rio  Puerco,  are  of  the  richest  and 
most  fertile  soils,  the  hills  or  highlands  afford  the  finest  pasturage  for  horses,  mules, 
horned  caVle,  sheep,  and  goats. 

It  may  be  asked  why  a  country  combining  so  many  natural  advantages  has  remained, 
thus  long,  unsettled.  To  this  question  I  answer:  first,,  because  the  American  settle- 
ments, from  the  very  nature  of  the  contracts  for  colonizing,  were  confined  mostly  to  the 
eastern  portion  of  Texas;  for  instance,  those  of  Col.  S.  F.  Austin,  which  embraced  a 
larger  extent  of  territory  than  those  of  any  other  Empresario,  and  who,  of  the  many 
that  made  contracts  for  introducing  families  and  colonizing  various  districts,  was  the 
only  one  who  completed  a  single  contract :  secondly,  because  the  Government  of 
Mexico  could  not,  or  would  not,  afford  protection  to  that  frontier  ;  and,  since  the  Inde- 
pendence of  Texas,  to  the  inroads  of  the  Indians  has  been  added  that  of  the  Mexicans. 

In  conclusiont  and  in  addition  to  what  I  have  already  said,  it  may  be  proper  to  say 
that  the  navigation  of  the  Rio  Grande,  at  no  distant  day,  will  afford  facilities,  and  hold 
out  such  inducements,  as  cannot  fail  to  enlist  the  employment  of  an  immense  amount  of 
capital.  The  trade  of  the  Northern  Provinces  of  Mexico  (which  is  highly  important 
both  on  account  of  the  precious  metals  and  stock)  will,  from  the  very  nature  of  things, 
pass  through  this  channel  as  the  most  natural,  direct,  safe,  and  cheap.  Taking  this 
view  of  the  subject,  it  is  a  question  of  no  little  importance  to  determine  a  suitable  point 
at  or  near  the  head  of  navigation,  at  which  to  establish  a  depot.  In  casting  about,  it 
haa  appeared  to  me,  that  at  or  near  the  confluence  of  the  Rio  Puerco  is  that  point  which, 
when  we  consider  the  advantages  of  navigation,  the  trade  of  the  Northern  Provincea 
of  Mexico,  and  the  extent  and  fertility  ot  the  country  on  the  east  side  of  the  Rio 
Grande,  Los  Moraa,  Rio  Puerco,  and  other  tributaries  of  those  streams,  it  is  hazarding 
but  little  toaay  that  it  will  form  one  of  the  most  important  commercial  as  well  as  agri- 
cultural and  grazing  point  and  territory,  of  equal  extent,  to  be  found  on  this  continent. 

Any  information,  in  relation  to  this  or  any  other  portion  of  Texas,  which  I  may  be  in 
poaaeuion  of,  1  will  freely  communicate  to  you.  \  ours  truly, 

F.  W.  JOHNSON. 

i  r.-m  my  personal  knowledge,  and  good  squrcesof  information,  relative  to  the  section 
of  country  deccribed,  I  fully  concur  in  the  within  statement. 

S.  H.  WALKER, 
Capt.  U.  S.  Dragoon*. 


13 

Captain  Daniel  Ruggles,  of  5th  Infantry,  U.  S.  Army,  in  a  tetter  dated 
Reynosa,  Mexico,  (a  town  on  the  Rio  Grande,  between  Matamoras  and 
Camargo)  Dec.  10th,  1846,  writes  in  relation  to  such  portions  of  this 
great  valley  as  had  come  Under  his  observation,  as  follows :  "  All  persons 
of  experience  in  the  growth  of  sugar  and  cotton,  concur  in  the  opinion 
that  this  valley  is  the  garden  spot  of  the  world,  surpassing  beyond  all 
comparison  the  lower  Mississippi,  and  I  doubt  not,  the  valley  of  the  Nile 
in  the  palmiest  days  of  its  prosperity.     This  whole  valley  is  composed  of 
an  alluvial  deposit  of  inexhaustible  fertility.     I  have  examined,"  he  con- 
tinues further,  "  the  cotton,  corn  and  sugar,  along  this  river,  and  although 
these  products  receive  comparatively  no  cultivation,  still  the  results  are 
wonderful.     There  are  points  where  the  wild  cotton  is  apparently  so  abun- 
dant as  to  well  repay  gathering.     The  Mexicans  do  not  cultivate  it,  they 
say,  because  their  rapacious  government,  will  thereby  find  the  less  of 
which  to  rob  them.     I  have  been  assured  that  one  cotton  stock  has  been 
known  to  produce  four  hundred  and  eighty  well  filled  bolls  of  cotton,  and 
from  its  luxuriant  growth,  I  can  well  credit  it ;  and  that  from  one  hill  14 
Ibs.  of  cotton  in  the  seed  has  been  gathered.     This  outdoes  the  Mississippi 
Valley.     I  saw  sugar  cane  twelve  feet  high  and  not  of  full  growth." 

In  addition  to  all  these  authorities,  I  may  be  permitted  to  cite  that  of 
Capt.  Henry,  of  the  U.  S.  Army.  Many  interesting  papers  from  his  pen 
have  appeared  in  the  New  York  Spirit  of  the  Times.  In  that  paper  of 
the  1st  of  August,  he  says  :  "  Who  can  describe  this  lovely  valley  and 
its  delicious  climate  ?  No  poet  in  the  fervency  of  his  imagination  could 
more  than  color  the  scene.  Nothing  can  exceed  the  delicious  coolness  of 
this  climate. 

"  Nay,  start  not,  ye  Northern  farmers,  ye  yankees  of  yankee  land,  and 
laugh  at  any  thing  like  coolness  under  this  tropical  sun.  No  summer  cli- 
mate can  exceed  it  in  loveliness.  Keep  out  of  the  sun  and  you  never 
feel  the  heat.  A  constant  breeze  is  blowing,  too  strong  at  times  for  com- 
fort, but  always  delicious.  Even  in  the  sun  you  are  not  aware  of  its 
power,  so  refreshing  is  this  everlasting  breath  of  nature.  No  part  of 
Texas  equals  in  salubrity  or  surpasses  in  fertility  the  valley  of  the  Rio 
Grande.  The  river  courses  its  way  from  the  mountains  through  a  varied 
climate,  that  will  produce  any  thing,  from  wheat  to  sugar  and  cotton. 
Nothing  can  surpass  the  rich  growth  of  the  vines.  This  region  of  coun- 
try is  bound  to  be  settled  very  rapidly,  even  to  the  prejudice  of  other 
parts  of  Texas.  If  nothing  else  points  it  out  as  a  desirable  location,  the 
fact  that  the  Rio  Grande  is  really  a  navigable  stream,  is  sufficient.  There 
are  to  be  sure  rivers  in  Texas — the  Trinity,  Brazos  and  Colorado — that 
at  certain  seasons  will  admit  of  navigation,  but  they  are  at  all  times  un- 


14 

certain,  whereas  the  Rio  Grande,  for  several  hundred  miles,  is  rarely  low 
enough  to  prevent  its  navigation  by  light  draught  steamers.  In  point  of 
health  it  is  unsurpassed  in  the  world.  There  are  no  causes  for  disease  ; 
there  are  no  swamps,  which  in  the  heat  of  summer  throw  out  their  poi- 
sonous miasma.  The  banks  are  high  and  the  country  preserves  that 
character  to  the  Colorado.  Let  this  boundary  be  settled,  and  there  will 
be  a  tide  of  emigration  to  this  favored  region,  that  will  be  unequalled. 
Tell  our  Northern  farmers,  the  Yankees,  to  come  and  judge  for  them- 
selves, and  ten  to  one  they  will  be  so  pleased  that  they  will  settle  here. 
Cultivation  can  be  carried  on  here  with  white  labor,  I  think,  beyond  a 
doubt.  The  impression  that  has  gone  abroad  of  the  unhealthiness  of  this 
climate,  of  its  various  insects  and  animals  is  all  humbug.  Nothing 
would  give  me  more  pleasure  than  to  see  this  valley  settled  by  that  class 
of  men.  They  would  make  it  one  flower  garden,  from  the  source  of  the 
river  to  its  mouth." 

EMIGRATION  TO   TEXAS. 

FEW  persons  can  form  an  adequate  idea  of  the  stream  of  population 
ready  to  flow  into  Texas,  so  soon  as  the  existing  war  shall  be  closed  and 
security  restored  upon  the  border.  Nor  is  it  easy  for  people  in  this  sec- 
tion of  the  Union  to  realise  the  facilities  with  which  the  face  of  the 
country  can  be  dotted  over  with  plantations  and  farms,  and  brought  into 
a  high  state  of  cultivation.  We  generally  associate  with  the  idea  of 
settling  a  new  country,  the  toil  of  many  years  in  clearing  away  dense 
forests.  Two  hundred  dollars  will  buy  a  quarter  section  of  the  public 
land  in  any  of  the  new  States  of  the  West ;  two  thousand  dollars  will  not 
render  more  than  one  half  of  it  fit  for  the  plough ;  but  in  Texas  the  land 
may  be  purchased  at  prices  which  will  fairly  remunerate  the  seller,  and 
the  second  year  the  planter  and  farmer  may  bring  under  cultivation  all 
the  soil  his  whole  disposable  force  can  manage.  It  is  therefore  only  the 
work  of  a  few  years,  not  of  a  life-time,  to  settle  and  subdue  such  a  terri- 
tory. The  emigration  from  the  southern  States  to  the  coast  region,  and 
far  up  the  rivers,  will  be  immediate  and  immense.  The  whole  upper 
country  in  Western  Texas  will  be  settled  and  cultivated  by  free  labor. 
15y  men  of  intelligence  in  Texas  this  is  not  doubted.  No  field  like  this 
has  been  opened  to  the  sinewy  arm  of  northern  labor.  Into  this  region 
too  will  over-populated,  industrial  Germany  pour  her  uncounted  thous- 
ands. It  has  already  become,  and  will  continue  to  be,  the  El  Dorado  of 
that  quiet,  indefatigable  and  thrifty  people.  In  relation  to  this  point,  we 
have  indications  that  cannot  be  mistaken.  Bishop  Odine,  who  returned 
irom  a  visit  to  Europe,  in  1845,  states  that  there  was  a  furor  of  enthusi- 


15 

asm  in  Belgium,  caused  by  the  accounts  of  Texas  received  there  from 
German  residents  in  that  country,  which  those  only  can  understand  who 
have  witnessed  it.  He  says  that  had  it  not  been  for  the  agitation  of  the 
Oregon  question,  there  would  have  been  ten  thousand  emigrants  from 
Antwerp  alone,  that  season ;  that  the  ultimate  extent  of  emigration  could 
not  with  any  certainty  be  estimated  ;  one  thing  only  being  unquestionable, 
that  it  would  be  immense.  From  Mayence  1400  had  embarked  in  a 
single  day,  and  20,000  would  soon  follow,  if  hostilities  did  not  take  place. 

The  war  holds  in  check — it  has  not  turned  aside — this  human  flood. 
The  German  settlers  in  Texas  are  doing  remarkably  well,  notwithstand- 
ing the  want  of  protection  on  the  frontier,  and  the  many  obstacles  they 
have  encountered,  as  strangers,  in  a  new  country.  They  have  recently 
commenced  a  settlement  on  the  Llano  which  is  rapidly  progressing.  This 
is  sixty  miles  from  Fredericksburgh.  The  land  in  the  valley  of  the 
Llano  is  very  fertile  and  productive,  and  the  climate  even  more  healthy 
than  the  older  settlement  of  Braunfels  or  Fredericksburgh.  This  region 
is  elevated  from  1000  to  1500  feet  above  the  level  of  the  Gulf.  The  air 
is  sufficiently  pure  and  invigorating  for  emigrants  from  the  mountainous 
regions  of  Europe.  The  gardens  and  fields  of  the  Germans,  supplied 
them,  even  the  first  year,  with  more  produce  than  they  could  consume. 

There  is  also  a  settlement  on  the  Pierdenales,  and  another  is  soon  to 
be  formed  on  the  San  Saba  whose  extensive  and  fertile  valley  is  capable 
of  sustaining  half  a  million  of  souls.  This  is  within  the  range  of  country 
we  have  described  as  equal  to  any  on  the  globe  for  the  production  of 
wheat,  barley,  rye,  oats  and  all  the  valuable  cereals.  The  Germans  can 
testify  to  the  truth  of  this  statement.  They  have  already  constructed 
flouring  mills  and  saw  mills,  which  are  in  full  and  profitable  operation. 

Encouraging  as  this  sketch  may  seem,  the  valley  of  the  upper  Rio 
Grande  possesses  many  advantages  even  over  these  settlements.  Let 
two  hundred  pioneer  families  from  the  north  once  be  located  in  this  quar- 
ter, and  more  than  half  the  work  of  peopling  the  whole  country  will  be 
accomplished.  No  people  can  be  compared  to  our  own  in  the  rapidity 
with  which  they  fell  the  forest,  erect  habitations,  and  subdue  the  virgin 
soil  in  a  new  country.  Around  such  a  nucleus  the  European  emigrants 
will  cluster  and  flourish,  as  naturally  and  as  certainly  as  the  harvest  fol- 
lows seed  time.  This  opinion  will  be  verified  as  soon  as  the  smoke  of 
the  cannon  has  cleared  away.  Here  locations  judiciously  chosen  will 
present  the  advantages  of  a  healthy,  easily  cultivated,  productive  country 
on  the  one  hand,  and  on  the  other,  will  command  a  trade  equal  if  not  su- 
perior to  that  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri.  This  brings  us  to  the  only  remain- 
ing point  to  be  considered,  which  is — 


16 


THE  COMMERCE  OF  THE  RIO  GRANDE. 

THE  time  is  at  hand  when  the  attention  of  business  men  and  capitalists 
cannot  fail  to  be  drawn  to  channels  of  trade  soon  to  be  opened  in  this 
quarter.  Water  does  not  more  naturally  flow  to  the  ocean  than  trade 
concentrates  at  points  indicated  by  natural  advantages,  unless  thrown 
into  circuitous  and  artificial  channels  by  conventional  restrictions.  Re- 
straints heretofore  existing  hi  trade,  on  this  new  south-western  boundary 
of  our  Republic,  will  be  thrown  off  on  the  return  of  peace.  The  capacity 
of  the  Rio  Grande  for  steamboat  navigation,  is  no  longer  a  matter  of 
doubt.  From  Point  Isabel  to  Camargo,  a  distance  of  200  miles,  and 
near  500  by  the  windings  of  the  river,  steamers  pass  daily  at  the  lowest 
stages  of  the  water.  Lieut.  Tilden,  in  the  steamboat  Major  Brown, 
recently  went  up  three  hundred  miles  farther,  to  Loredo,  near  the  point 
where  General  Wool  crossed  with  his  army.  The  steamboat  met  but  a 
single  obstacle,  a  sand  bank,  over  which  she  forced  her  way  without  dif- 
ficulty. The  river  was  at  the  tune  unusually  low.  Here,  on  the  left 
bank  of  the  river,  Cannel  Coal  was  found  in  abundance  and  of  an  ex- 
cellent quality.  Six  or  eight  tons  were  taken  on  board,  and  measures 
have  since  been  adopted  to  supply  from  this  source  our  steamers  hi  the 
Gulf. 

The  writer  is  inclined  to  believe,  from  all  he  has  been  able  to  learn  on 
the  subject,  that  the  junction  of  the  Rio  Grande  with  the  Puerco  will  be 
the  head  of  steamboat  navigation  on  the  former.  The  spot  is  400  miles 
from  Point  Isabel  in  a  direct  line,  and  near  1000  by  the  course  of  the 
river.  That  this  point  will  speedily  become  a  place  of  commanding  im- 
portance, may  be  briefly  shown. 

From  the  Gulf  to  the  junction  of  the  rivers  is  a  region  of  varied  soil 
and  climate,  suitable  for  the  cultivation  of  sugar,  cotton,  wheat,  corn,  and 
fruits  and  vegetables  of  all  descriptions ;  and  embracing,  still  farther  back 
along  the  Guadaloupe  range,  inexhaustible  and  perpetual  pasture  of  the 
finest  quality  for  the  raising  of  sheep  ahd  other  domestic  animals.  With 
all  these  desiderata  it  is,  as  has  already  been  shown,  peculiarly  adapted 
to  free  labor.  The  advantages  of  steamboat  navigation,  as  well  as  the 
natural  features  of  the  country,  would  seem  to  point  out  the  confluence 
of  the  Puerco  and  Rio  Grande  as  a  convenient  business  place  ;  and  al- 
though not  favorable  to  the  building  of  towns  merely  on  paper,  the 
writer,  for  the  sake  of  illustration,  and  of  establishing  a  point  from 
whence  distances  can  be  measured,  will  name  the  embryo  town,  or  city? 
llermosa,  the  Mexican  or  Spanish  word  for  Beautiful. 

On  a  line  S.E.  from  the  place  above  indicated,  aud  about  150  miles 


17 

distant  therefrom,  lies  San  Antonio,  Texas  ;  and  40  miles  nearer  in  the 
same  direction  is  Castroville,  a  flourishing  German  and  French  settle- 
ment. Hermosa  must  command  a  large  portion  of  the  business  of  ex- 
change and  supply  of  the  whole  upper  region  of  Western  Texas,  as  well 
as  of  the  fertile  valleys  of  the  Puerco  and  the  Rio  Grande  (stretching 
far  up  beyond  the  junction  of  these  streams,  and  including,  on  the  latter 
river,  the  city  of  Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico),  and  also  a  large  share  of  the 
peltry  trade  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  river 
lies  the  province  of  Coahuila,  where,  at  convenient  distances,  supplies  of 
horses,  mules,  cattle  and  sheep,  may  be  obtained  in  abundance  for  the  use 
of  thefirst  settlers.  Hermosa  would  thus  become  a  depot  and  market 
for  a  large,  healthy,  and  highly  productive  portion  of  Western  Texas, 
and  must,  from  this  circumstance  alone,  grow  in  a  few  years  to  be  a 
place  of  no  small  importance. 

But  in  a  commercial  point  of  view  it  has  other  and  still  greater  ad- 
vantages. That  it  must  necessarily  command  a  very  extensive  and 
profitable  commerce  with  the  Northern  Provinces  of  Mexico,  lying  west 
of  the  Rio  Grande,  will,  on  an  examination  of  its  natural  facilities, 
become  apparent.  The  war,  and  the  consequent  lack  of  security  on  the 
frontier,  have  alone  prevented  the  whole  overland  trade  between  the  United 
States  and  Mexico  from  passing  through  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande. 
But  for  these  drawbacks  it  would  long  ago  have  taken  that  direction. 
That  the  Santa  Fe  route  cannot  compete  with  this  new  avenue  of  inter- 
national commerce,  may  be  easily  shown. 

In  the  first  place,  Santa  Fe,  although  the  capital  of  New  Mexico,  does 
not  contain  more  than  3,500  inhabitants.  For  many  years  the  mines, 
though  rich,  have  been  poorly  worked,  and  the  consumption  of  goods  at 
that  place  has  been  comparatively  small.  Santa  Fe  is,  in  fact,  a  mere 
point,  a  quasi  port  of  entry,  where  the  traders  from  the  United  States 
and  from  the  Northern  Departments  of  Mexico  meet  for  traffic.  It  is  this 
traffic,  this  exchange  of  merchandise  for  the  precious  metals,  which  has 
given  to  Santa  Fe  its  vast  importance,  and  the  commerce  of  the  prairies 
centred  there  all  the  interest  of  distant  ocean  navigation. 

The  extent  of  this  trade  has  never  been  accurately  known — or,  if 
known,  it  has  never  been  published  to  the  world.  Those  who  knew 
most  about  it  have  been  engaged  in  the  trade,  and  had  therefore,  strong 
motives  for  keeping  their  information  to  themselves.  Gen.  Almonte,  in 
his  elaborate  report  to  the  Supreme  Government  in  1834,  estimated  the 
amount  of  bullion,  annually  passing  to  the  United  States  through  this 
channel,  at  two  millions  of  dollars. 

That  the  Santa  Fe  trade  has  contributed  largely  to  build  up,  enrich 


18 

and  give  importance  to  St.  Louis,  is  most  certain  ;  and  that  the  flourish- 
ing town  of  Independence  on  the  Missouri  is  indebted  for  its  origin  and 
subsequent  prosperity  to  the  same  cause,  is  no  less  true.  For  more  than 
twenty-five  years  this  trade  has  been  perseveringly  carried  on,  often  with 
immense  and  never  without  large  returns.  Narratives  of  the  stirring 
border  incidents  of  the  present  season  (1846)  have  given  a  degree  of 
publicity  to  the  details  of  its  importance  and  extent,  which  they  had  never 
before  obtained. 

It  is  now  well  ascertained  that  more  than  one  million  of  dollars,  in  gold 
and  silver,  has  been  invested  in  merchandise  for  the  "  prairie  voyages  " 
during  the  past  year.  Philadelphia,  and  not  New  York,  has  for  many 
years  furnished  the  principal  portions  of  the  goods  for  the  Santa  Fe  trade. 
These  goods  have  been  sent  over  the  mountains,  down  the  Ohio,  and  up 
the  Mississippi  to  St.  Louis.  From  that  place  to  Santa  Fe,  the  distance 
is  1200  miles,  over  bad  roads  and  through  predatory  tribes  of  Indians. 
As  a  protection  from  the  latter,  squadrons  of  United  States  troops  have, 
on  several  occasions,  by  order  of  the  Government,  accompanied  the  large 
caravans. 

Independence  has  of  late  years  become  the  point  of  departure  for  a 
majority  of  the  Santa  Fe  traders.  Some,  however,  have  gone  and  con- 
tinue to  go  by  way  of  Van  Buren,  up  the  Arkansas  river,  and  from 
thence  eight  hundred  miles  by  land,  over  the  prairies.  A  trade  must  be 
profitable  that  will  justify,  year  after  year,  such  distant  and  costly  over- 
land transportation,  and  any  new  line  that  will  relieve  it  from  the  onerous 
transit  charges  referred  to,  must — other  things  being  equal— command 
the  business. 

David  Waldo,  a  highly  intelligent  and  respectable  merchant,  for  twenty 
years  engaged  in  this  overland  trade,  estimates  its  amount  during  the  past 
season  at  nine  hundred  and  thirty-seven  thousand  five  hundred  dollars 
worth  of  merchandise — as  follows : 

Value  of  goods,  first  cost,  $937,500 

400  large  ox  and  mule   wagons,  75,000 

1750  mules,      -  70,000 

1000  yoke  of  oxen,        ...  35,000 

550  men  for  the  trip,     -  75,000 

Freight,  insurance,  &c.  to  St.  Louis,  -                         93,780 

Provisions,  and  outfit  of  all  kinds,  -                         61,000 


$409,780 

No  better  authority  can  be  given  than  that  from  which  the  above  esti- 
mate is  derived.  It  shows  the  cost  of  transportation  on  less  than  one  mil- 
lion dollars  worth  of  goods  to  be  nearly  four  hundred  and  ten  thousand 


19 

dollars,  to  ISanta  Fe.  Further  shipments  of  goods  were  made  after  the 
date  of  Mr.  Waldo's  estimate,  and  with  a  fair  allowance  for  the  additional 
vehicles,  &c.,  required  to  transport  them,  the  aggregate  for  the  past  sea- 
son may  be  fairly  set  down  at  five  hundred  wagons,  besides  pack  mules, 
and  nearly  one  thousand  men.  This  would  seem  to  indicate,  what  is  no 
doubt  the  fact,  that  considerable  more  than  one  million  of  dollars  has  been 
invested  in  this  bold  traffic,  during  the  past  year,  and  that  the  expenses 
have  been  proportionably  heavy.  Indeed,  such  are  the  unavoidable  ex- 
penses by  this  circuitous  route,  that  merchants  whose  sales  have  averaged 
only  one  hundred  per  cent,  on  first  cost,  have  deemed  it  a  good  year's 
business,  when  their  net  profits  have  reached  forty  per  cent. 

Now  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  same  amount  of  goods  may  be  deliv- 
ered at  Hermosa,  on  the  Rio  Grande,  for  very  little  (if  any)  more  than 
the  cost  of  transportation  between  the  city  of  New  York  and  St.  Louis, 
Missouri ;  to  say  nothing  of  the  economy  of  time,  an  important  element 
in  commercial  transactions.  For  example,  but  one  trip  a  year  can  be 
made  between  this  city  and  Santa  Fe,  via  St.  Louis,  while/owr  trips  can 
be  made  within  the  same  period,  with  great  ease,  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Puerco,  on  the  Rio  Grande. 

But  this  saving  of  time  is  by  no  means  the  only  consideration.  A 
brief  examination  of  the  map  will  disclose  other  advantages.  Let  it  be 
borne  in  mind  that  Santa  Fe,  as  already  stated,  is  not  the  portion  of  Mex_ 
ico  where  any  considerable  amount  of  this  merchandise  is  consumed ;  but 
a  mere  point  en  route,  where  the  Mexican  traders  from  the  South  meet 
those  from  the  United  States.  There  the  merchandise  is  taken  from  the 
heavy  wagons  and  placed  upon  pack  mules,  when  the  Mexican  Jason,  in 
his  turn,  commences  a  journey  in  search  of  the  golden  fleece. 

Leaving  Santa  Fe,  for  320  miles,  the  Mexican  merchants  continue 

down  the  East  or  Texas  side  of  the  Rio  Grande  to  the  Paso  del  Norte 

> 

where  they  cross  the  river  and  enter  a  small  but  thrifty  settlement  of 
near  8,000  inhabitants.  From  the  Paso  del  Norte  to  Chihuahua,  the  cap- 
ital of  the  province  of  the  same  name,  is  230  miles  farther,  or  550  miles 
from  Santa  Fe,  and  1750  from  St.  Louis — while  from  Hermosa  to  Chi- 
huahua the  distance  is  not  more  than  150  miles.  The  city  of  Chihuahua 
contains  30,000  inhabitants ;  the  province  is  rich  in  valuable  mines,  and 
is  one  of  the  finest  wool  growing  regions  in  America.  Wool  is,  indeed, 
the  staple  of  the  State  and  its  first  outlet  to  a  profitable  market  will  be 
the  Valley  of  the  Rio  Grande.  The  annual  consumption  of  foreign 
goods  in  this  province,  is  set  down  by  intelligent  Mexican  merchants  at 
from  two  millions  to  three  millions  of  dollars. 

Durango,  with  a  larger  population  than  Chihuahua,  and  deriving  four 


20 

millions  of  dollars  annually  from  the  mines,  of  course  consumes  a  still 
larger  quantity.  The  capital  contains  25,000  people,  is  800  miles  from 
Santa  Fe,  2,000  from  St.  Louis,  and  only  360  from  Hermosa ;  while  the 
department  of  Coahuela  stretches  along  the  west  side  of  the  Rio  Grande, 
and  its  capital,  containing  a  population  of  30,000,  is  within  150  miles  of 
Hermosa. 

The  small  and  not  wealthy  province  of  New  Leon  is  quite  in  the 
neighborhood. 

In  brief,  the  region  of  which  Hermosa  forms  the  most  convenient  depot 
and  commercial  emporium,  comprehends  the  entire  provinces  of  New 
Mexico,  Chihuahua,  portions  of  Sinaloa  on  the  Gulf  of  California,  Du- 
rangOy  Zacatecas,  and  the  northern  portions  of  Xalisco.  The  most  remote 
of  these  is  not  more  than  500  miles  from  Hermosa.  Within  this  circle, 
too,  are  obtained  two-thirds  of  all  the  gold  and  silver  extracted  annually 
from  the  mines  of  Mexico. 

No  practical  man  will  aver  that  the  profits  on  merchandise  exported  to 
this  region  will  continue  to  be  as  large  as  they  have  been ;  but  in  lieu  of 
this  the  consumption  will  be  greatly  increased  and  the  returns  quicker 
and  more  sure ;  while  the  navigation  of  the  Rio  Grande  to  such  a  distance 
in  the  interior,  will  create  an  active  traffic  in  numerous  articles  of  real 
value,  which  have  hitherto  lain  dormant  for  want  of  the  means  of  trans- 
portation to  a  suitable  market. 

Heretofore  the  ports  of  Vera  Cruz,  Matamoras  and  Tampico  on  the 
Gulf,  and  Mazatlan  and  Guaymas  on  the  California  side,  have  been  the 
principal  starting  points  for  this  portion  of  the  interior ;  and  the  English 
and  French  merchants  monopolized  the  lion's  share,  until  the  Santa  Fe 
traders  with  bold  and  daring  enterprise  put  in  for  a  small  portion  of  the 
profits. 

In  conclusion,  if  any  thing  further  were  wanting  to  show  that  the 
Santa  Fe  trade  may  be  thrown  into  this  new  channel  and  its  field  en- 
larged many  fold,  it  will  be  found  in  the  fact  ihat  during  the  last  six  years 
of  active  or  tlireatened  war  between  Texas  and  Mexico,  the  traders  from 
ll»e  Northern  provinces  of  Mexico,  without  any  safe  passport,  without  any 
adequate  protection  against  the  Indians,  have  made  their  way  to  San 
Antonio  and  Corpus  Christi,  and  brought  with  them  on  an  average, 
3300,000  annually,  in  gold  and  silver,  for  the  purchase  of  goods. 

No  wonder,  then,  that  the  French  nation,  with  a  far-reaching  and  clear- 
sighted sagacity  made  tempting  overtures  to  the  Texan  Government, 
with  a  view  of  obtaining  exclusive  privileges  in  the  trade  of  the  Valley 
of  the  Rio  Grande.  .  .  . 


fpfpp 


